Saturday, December 31, 2011

The end of 2011 already?!*

Dear friends of C4C,

It's the most wonderful time of the year--again already! It seems that the arrival and departure of Christmas gets here sooner and leaves us sooner with every passing year. It is so hard to believe that we are ending our 4th year of ministry and nearing the corner which opens up our 5th year of Creating and Cultivating Environments of Grace for Women of ALL Ages.

As we look at where we have been and where we are going, we are also looking at where we are today. Recently, Pastor Andy Stanley shared how the 5 campuses of Northpoint Churches (including the one my family and I attend) have given over $2,000,000 to local charities and non-profit organizations PLUS over 15,000 service hours have been committed to by church members willing to volunteer and over 40 tons of food has been donated to feed hungry families. It is exciting to be a small part of this incredible effort--to BE the Church, united to shine the Light of Christ in our communities and in our world.

C4C works with other non-profits to help engage women in
ministering to the needs of others in their communities

But then Andy posed a question, "How long did it actually take us to do all of this?" (The first $1 million came in within a few hours!) So the question was specifically, "How long did it take us to raise a million dollars in less than a day?" The answer: "Sixteen years." You see, what really made all of this possible--the generosity, the excitement to give, the enthusiasm of serving for no financial gain, the joy of feeding strangers--all of this is possible because of those who were faithful to give and serve and donate for the past sixteen plus years. People who embraced the vision of their leader and put their treasure where their mouths were. I'm so thankful they gave! I'm honored to be even a small part of it in this season in my life.

Church 4 Chicks is in the midst of exciting days. We are women (and yes, a few men, too) with a vision to reach women of all ages with the Good News of Jesus Christ which transforms and redeems lives and gives purpose and meaning and hope to life today with the promise of eternal life to come. We believe that God's Word has power and that when God's Word is invested in the lives of people, in an environment that welcomes any and all who will come with open arms, Change Happens! It is incredible to watch generations coming together for authentic relationship with one another on a regular basis and to watch these relationships bloom and blossom--cross denominationally, cross culturally, and cross generationally.

C4C is intentional in our mission to be a "welcome mat"
to a growing relationship
with Jesus Christ to women of all generations!

With many testimonies of changed lives already on our ministry "resume," we look forward to even greater intentionality to minister effectively in the coming year and the years to come. Just this past year we were able to go on mission to take the message of grace and identity as "Church 4 Chicks" to Jamaica, Alaska and other parts of the US. In 2012, we have been invited back to some of these places, including Alaska, where we plan to host two conferences instead of one, and we have also been invited to lead a women's conference in Kiev, Ukraine. God is moving and we desire nothing more and nothing less than to stay in step with His Spirit.

But as you probably picked up on by now, this isn't something we can do alone. And it isn't cost-free for us to make any of this happen. We have been really fortunate that God has brought a few individuals and churches alongside of us who have captured the vision of Church 4 Chicks and have offered their services or location(s) at either minimal cost or at no charge. We are fortunate that there are some very faithful, reliable givers. We are truly thankful! But even as we strive to be the best stewards of what God has entrusted to us, the fact remains that in order to create these kinds of environments for women and sometimes to go where they are when they can't come to us, it takes money and resources. The bottom line: it takes all of us!

You have not because you ask not...

I wanted to come to you and let you all know that we have an immediate need of about $5,000.00. This seems like an impossible amount to me. But, I have a feeling that when Andy Stanley challenged all of us at Northpoint a few weeks ago to give $1,000,000 over 6 weeks or so, he couldn't have imagined that the church would do that and then more than double it in less than 3 weeks! So that is why I'm coming to you all now. Who knows how God might want to use this in all of our lives--to humble us, to build our faith, to encourage us that He indeed is with us and that so are others from around the world who would like to see more C4C's popping up...perhaps even their part of the world.

There are two ways you can give your tax deductible gift:

1) You can simply write and mail a check or money order to Church 4 Chicks, inc. PO Box 1447 Woodstock, GA 30188

2) You can give your gift online (although a portion of your donation will go to pay the fee for this service and does not go to C4C). Simply click here to go to our website to make your donation or purchase your Samaritan Saver Card (fundraiser).

I would also like to ask you to consider becoming part of "10x10" for 2012. This is what we are praying for:

10 People who will commit to give $100 per month.100 People who will commit to give $10 per month.

Of course if God lays something different on your heart, then of course, we won't turn you down! :-)

More than anything, and I mean this sincerely, my hope is just that we will all do whatever the Spirit leads us to do as it pertains to His activity in our world today.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this in its entirety and for prayerfully considering what God might want you to do in response.

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What IS Church 4 Chicks anyways?

Church 4 Chicks is a non-profit ministry that exists to help women live with purpose...and without the pressure!! C4C provides events, resources, and online communities (like our blog!) where women of all ages and from all walks of life can come together to enjoy authentic worship, teaching, and relationships. Check out www.church4chicks.com for all the 411!